Comments on The Sabathia Contract

By surface measure he’s been worth about $176 million through the first 7 years of the deal in marginal value. That means to break even, he has to be worth $30 million in the last year, our a little less than 4 WAR.

Looks like he’s going to fall short.

But he was the key starter on the title-winning 2009 team, pitching on 3 days’ rest twice in the postseason to help them stay on a 3-man rotation. (Andy and AJ pitched on 3 days’ rest once each.)

On balance, I’d say he wasn’t worth more, but he wasn’t worth much less, either. I think if you compare the contract to others of that length and relative salary, CC comes out looking decent.

@ Evan3457:
There-in lies the dilemma. Maybe it would be smarter to sign guys to shorter, but much higher salaries as a strategy. Say a top pitcher comes along, age 27-28 why not try a 4/$160 million dollar offer? Big money, with the chance to still score another big contract. Would players go for it? And would the high payroll teams get taxed so much for going above ‘the line’ that the gambit would work? Just a minor “thought exercise”. Might “work”…..

@ Evan3457:
There-in lies the dilemma. Maybe it would be smarter to sign guys to shorter, but much higher salaries as a strategy. Say a top pitcher comes along, age 27-28 why not try a 4/$160 million dollar offer? Big money, with the chance to still score another big contract. Would players go for it? And would the high payroll teams get taxed so much for going above ‘the line’ that the gambit would work? Just a minor “thought exercise”. Might “work”…..

I’ve thought the same thing. Might work for some players, but probably not for those whose agent is Scott Boras who always works to maximize both dollars and guaranteed years.

Goooooooood gawwwwd almighty, the White Sox got Mat Latos for one year and three million. What the hell, money that tight in Tampa?! Talk about a “probable” bounce-back deal, for the cost of a good middle inning reliever. Totlblsht.

@ Evan3457:
Never saw it that way; they had a recent ring, he had 100,000 miles on his arm and the high dollar out years were destined to be a boat anchor.

From ESPN in 2011… I’d forgotten the Yankees can buy their way out of the 2017 vesting! I’m thinking they might just take that buy out. I’d also yank the mini bars out of the hotel suites.

The big left-hander decided to stay with New York rather than test the free-agent market, agreeing Monday to a new deal that adds $30 million and one season to his existing contract, giving him a package that pays $122 million over the next five years.

The 31-year-old had until midnight to opt out of his current agreement, which had $92 million remaining over the next four years, with annual salaries of $23 million.

Sabathia will be paid $25 million in 2016, which is the final year of the new contract, the source said. The deal contains a vesting option for $25 million in 2017 with a $5 million buyout solely on the condition of his shoulder because the Yankees have some concern about a pre-existing condition.

Sabathia, who also retains a hotel suite on trips, a no-trade provision and the right to buy tickets, will qualify for the vesting option as long as he spends less than 45 days on the disabled list with a shoulder injury in 2016.

@ Evan3457:
Never saw it that way; they had a recent ring, he had 100,000 miles on his arm and the high dollar out years were destined to be a boat anchor.
From ESPN in 2011… I’d forgotten the Yankees can buy their way out of the 2017 vesting! I’m thinking they might just take that buy out. I’d also yank the mini bars out of the hotel suites.
The big left-hander decided to stay with New York rather than test the free-agent market, agreeing Monday to a new deal that adds $30 million and one season to his existing contract, giving him a package that pays $122 million over the next five years.
The 31-year-old had until midnight to opt out of his current agreement, which had $92 million remaining over the next four years, with annual salaries of $23 million.
Sabathia will be paid $25 million in 2016, which is the final year of the new contract, the source said. The deal contains a vesting option for $25 million in 2017 with a $5 million buyout solely on the condition of his shoulder because the Yankees have some concern about a pre-existing condition.
Sabathia, who also retains a hotel suite on trips, a no-trade provision and the right to buy tickets, will qualify for the vesting option as long as he spends less than 45 days on the disabled list with a shoulder injury in 2016.

If they had been thinking rebuild, you’d be right. But this team never takes a down year or two on purpose. To the way of thinking of Hal and Hank, and Cashman by extension, not signing CC would’ve meant giving up on even the appearance of contending for a title in 2012, something they’d never publicly admit.

The Yankees have had so many great years out of free agents that it’s fan-base screams bloody murder when it doesn’t all pan out. Even Mike Axisa (who I respect) talks about a ‘free agent never being worth a draft pick’. I mean, REALLY? Anyone who has a money-manager or stockbroker who has done better than Cashman, Jocketty, Epstein, Wren, Duquette, and other successful GMs of the past thirty years, please let us (or least ME) know 😉 Had the nineties Yankees NEVER made a free-agent move, could anyone really believe that they would have even a Ring? Or ANY team, for that matter? Baseball is a business, not some idealistic game of “but my team spent more ‘efficiently’ than yours”. Yeah, Finland fought valiantly against Russia in WWII, then it stopped snowing………